In Esher they encountered the ghost of Queen Victoria

(2013) oil on linen, 71 x 107 cm
The young Queen Victoria often visited relatives at Claremont House near Esher in Surrey and at the church of St George’s she had her own box overlooking the nave. The white door behind her ghost was a private entrance to the box. St George’s is now used as an arts centre. I do not believe in ghosts but when visiting the church and its graveyard I was often conscious of its Victorian connection; hence, I devised a narrative to enliven an otherwise traditional landscape scene.